Sometimes, it pays to get out of the kitchen. Especially when that means diving into new sights, sounds and flavours. But what exactly is on the menu this year? From the newest Michelin-star dining to foraging for truffles, here are some of the most exciting (and conscious) foodie experiences on offer for 2020 – and the best places to discover them first-hand.
1. Farm-to-table fun
Connecting more closely with where your food has come from is definitely high on the agenda. The thinking behind it is simple: when you’re part of the process of creating what’s on your plate, the experience is so much richer. But farm-to-table fun doesn’t necessarily mean throwing on a pair of muddy wellington boots. It could mean hunting for rare white truffles in the autumnal hills around Piedmont, Italy – and seeing your prize delicately shaved over fresh pasta for dinner at Villa La Madonna.
Plenty of boutique hotels are championing locally-grown produce – and encouraging you to be part of the action. Dig up root vegetables on the organic farm at Castle Hot Springs in Arizona before watching them roast on an open fire.
2. Reach for the Michelin-stars
If you’re more gastronome than green-fingered, you’re in luck: Michelin-star dining will never go out of style. There’s Hotel Único in Madrid, where you can go on an epic culinary voyage made up of multiple “moments.” Its award-winning restaurant also offers a “Petit Menu” at lunch if you’re itching to explore the city’s Golden Mile.
3. Give it the green light
A trend that looks to become a way of life, plant-based eating is becoming easier to take on your travels. Trendy in Sydney is blazing a trail with Australia’s first fully plant-based hotel restaurant, Alibi Bar + Kitchen. While in San Sebastián, Arima Hotel’s Misura restaurant gives you the option of customizing your veggie plates with different treats from the kitchen garden.
Green and ethical tourism go hand in hand – and ticking both boxes is Keemala in Thailand. The resort celebrates Phuket’s 9-day Vegetarian Festival in October, offering guests a low-calorie, ‘healthy living’ menu bursting with Thai flavours year-round. It also adopts a firm position on animal rights, and houses two rescued water buffalo who help keep the hotel’s grass in order.
Latest stories
Northern delights: a ‘coolcation’ itinerary across Norway & Iceland
As the train begins its slow, corkscrewing descent into Norway’s Flåm Valley, snow is softening mountain peaks into meringue-like folds. Outside the window, waterfalls freeze mid-cascade, as forests stand still under crystal light. The Flåm Railway — a staggering feat of engineering — feels like a portal into another season,
Snowy Lapland lodges to Balinese spa retreats: top boutique hotels for February
February invites a different kind of travel thinking. The urgency of new beginnings has softened, replaced by a desire to move well toward places feel tuned to their setting. This month’s selection spans extremes and in-betweens: Arctic forests and Balinese cliffs, historic towns in southern Europe, and quietly evolving cities.
A winter guide to the Dolomites for sporty travellers
Next month, the Winter Olympics land in northern Italy, with Cortina d’Ampezzo and multiple mountain clusters across the region hosting events. This winter guide to the Dolomites is for travellers inspired by the Olympian spirit: staying active outdoors by day, then prioritising recovery, wellness, and deep rest by night. Across
Out of season in Cyprus: discovering slow craft in Lefkara
Out of season in Cyprus, Lefkara doesn’t ask for your attention; it earns it by refusing to compete. The streets are narrower than you expect, the stone cooler under your palm than it looks, the air so clean it feels almost deliberate. You hear at your own pace: the sound
